Goo, gel, and all things sticky... (Read 1434 times)

vicentefrijole

posted: 6/19/2006 at 9:40 AM

Hello all
I'm interested in hearing what people use in the category of goo/gel/carbs during their long runs and races... any favorites? anything you can't stomach? Also, how frequently do you consume them? I'm looking at switching... anybody ever used Cliff shots?

Mile Collector

Abs of Flabs

posted: 6/19/2006 at 10:59 AM

I do GU and that stuff works! 15 minutes after taking it, I get a noticeable jolt. I take that stuff about once every 8 miles or so for runs greater than 10 miles. I also take it for races of 10 miles and longer, usually with 3 miles to go so I can have some kick at the end.
For runs/races over 15 miles, I also carry a Clif Bar with me just in case I go hungry. GUs are good, but they're not filling enough. If my stomach growls, I lose all incentives to run. They don't seem to irritate my stomach much if at all. I like the orange flavored GU mostly because it's easier to take than other flavors. I don't think I would ever go for chocolate because it tastes heavy
I had Clif shots once. They work, but didn't taste all that much better. I'm more interested in the energy density of these things. Wouldn't it be nice to pop a pill that'll give you a 100 sugar Calories instead of needing to carry packets of them?

Also, what do ya'll think about caffeine in these packets? I've read that caffeine can help your body metabolize more fat/lipids (in extremely long races). I used caffeinated gel toward the end of my first marathon and it certainly didn't hurt. Any opinions/knowledge?
I just bought a couple GU packets to give them a try. I'm also not so worried about taste, but I liked the fact that Clif Bar is made mostly with ingredients that I understand (though they're not 100% organic/natural either). So I bought a couple of those too and I'm going to try them out also.
If you find a pill with all the carb/electrolytes for my marathon, let me know. hehe. I have heard of people sucking on sugar candy, but I think that would be a little too sweet for me (and I might choke!)
p.s. Nice bunny. Your own drawing?

Mile Collector

Abs of Flabs

posted: 6/19/2006 at 2:45 PM

I'm not sure where the myth of GUs having caffeine in them come from. Maybe it's a rumor started by Power Gel or something. I read the ingredient labels of pretty much everything I read purely out of boredom. I didn't see caffeine in most flavors of GU, yet people kept saying banana is the only one without it.
I don't know much about caffeine and performance other than it works, although not from personal experience.
One thing I learned is never suck on hard candies such as Jolly Ranchers when you're running because it's a choking hazard. I had a Jolly Rancher on a long run. I bit on it without thinking and bits and pieces flaked off as I inhaled through my mouth. Running isn't fun to begin with, and if you're choking at the same time, it's no party. I also tried Star Burst on the run, and that worked better than hard candies. The only down side is they have bad fats in them.
Clif Bar is something that you have to experiment with because it's a lot heavier than gel. Make sure you drink plenty of water afterwards as well because it's relatively dry, and it takes lots of water to convert into simple sugars. I eat it because it keeps my stomach full so I dont feel as hungry.
p.s. I'm not creative enough to create my own avatar. I came across it and thought it's hilarious. It would be funnier if it had a head band and sweating buckets.

Speaking of choking on pieces... the last race I was in they put ICE in the water cups. I didn't notice until I was gagging on a piece! I was VERY unhappy about that! Never seen anyone do that before! Ack -glug-glug-glug!!!
By the way, I've heard gummy bears are good marathon food... <grin> I might have to go run a marathon just to find out! Mmmm! I love gummy bears!
Vincentfrijole - what happened to your dog? He better not be out chasing my kitty... </grin>

Roads were made for journeys...

Mile Collector

Abs of Flabs

posted: 6/19/2006 at 10:07 PM

I had ice in my cup once in a race too! In fact, half of it was ice. Grant, it was in the dead of winter, and the termperature outside was 3 F
Wingz: you don't have to run a marathon to try gummy bears. I bet they taste better as you stand by the side of the road during the marathon while watching all the idiots that gasp and wheeze as they crawl by

Janell, I mentioned in another thread that Jelly Belly now makes electrolyte jelly beans.

YES! I intend to order some of those and give them a try... sounds like a fun alternative.
I didn't mean to imply that GU has caffeine... (I haven't looked). I just meant that a lot of these carbo-gel products do, but it's usually pretty clear on the front label as I think it's a marketing point. About half the Power Gel flavors have caffeine. Sometimes I think it makes me feel a little "less awful" on the long runs, but that might be placebo effect! I don't believe for a second that it helps in the "hyper-alert" way we all think about caffeine (at least I don't feel it that way after 20 miles). Still, I think there might be something to the idea that it helps metabolism of certain energy stores.
However, it's also good to keep in mind that caffeine is a banned substance in profession racing. There is probably a good reason for that, so if I use caffeine-carbo-gels I'm going to do it "in moderation".

va

posted: 2/25/2007 at 3:05 PM

Thanks to the new search capability, I found this good thread on goo, gel, and all things sticky.
Here is a summary of the things mentioned:
Clif Shot Energy Gel
Clif Bar
Gu Energy Gel
Star Bursts
Gummy Bears
Jolly Ranchers
Jelly Belly Sport Beans
Anything to add?

What you have to consider is that your ability to consume and digest drops with increasing effort. At a true marathon effort, you should be able to handle goos and suck on cliff blocks. At a 5k effort, you need none of these things, and should not be able to tolerate them. At an ultramarathon effort, you should be able to tolerate all these things and lots of other simple carbs, including potatoes, PB&J and candies. Calores that you take in before or after the run can be any of these things.

The Jelly Belly "Sport" Beans (I question whether they are anything more than regular Jelly Bellys cleverly packaged ) are really tasty, but you need to eat 15ish to get 100 calories ... and it can take some time to chew and swallow those tasty little treats.
For GU, I love the Chocolate Outrage flavor ... it's the only thing I'll eat on a long run or during a race!
The GU shotblocks were okay, but I got tired of the taste and consistency quickly.

I just tried some Clif Shot Bloks on my long run this weekend. I had tasted them at an expo once, but only liked the pina colada flavor. I loved them and 3=100 cals, so you can eat them a little slower but it's still not trying to eat 15 jelly beans while running, like Trish mentioned. Gus sometimes mess with my stomach but I'm getting used to them (espresso and vanilla for me).
I usually take a gu or now a couple of bloks starting around mile 5 for longer runs and every few miles after that. They make such a difference in the quality of my runs, and I've started taking them whether I feel the need or not. I also love Jolly Ranchers because they last a long time and distract me during races. I might have to get some Starburst- great idea!

I'm not sure where the myth of GUs having caffeine in them come from. Maybe it's a rumor started by Power Gel or something.
Some flavors of Gu do have caffeine. Checking out www.gusports.com shows that the following flavors do have caffeine:
Vanilla Bean
Choclate Outrage
Tri Berry
Espresso Love
I don't do caffeine because of my heart issues. I use Gu Banana and Lemon Sublime because they don't have caffeine. The Gu flavors *without* caffeine say No Caffeine on the front. The ones with caffeine don't usually mention it on the label.
Teresa